Description/Aim

This activity follows on from 'classifying sequences' or relys on students ability to determine the order of sequences. In this activity students 'not surprisingly' measure the gradients of different functions which leads to the discovery that the function that describes the gradient of a given function is one power of x less.

Students use Autograph for its accuracy and ease so taht they can concentrate on the observations!

Why we like this activity ….

This activity allows access to the fundamental principal of calculus, that the gradient of a function at a
given point can be described by another function and that the relationship between the two follows a
pattern. This is important before the details can be mastered! The use of technology replaces the much
less accurate paper and pen and allows students to cut quickly to the chase!

How this activity be used ….

Give the students the electronic document so that results and screen shots can be added when ready

What to expect when using this activity – from our experience

Students need to be good at detrmining the order of a given sequence. I do this with 'classifying
sequences' and looking at the difference method.

Extra Notes